Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
When I realized that I can invest in my own marketing and do exactly what I think needs to be done - well, then it just feels like, what is the benefit of having a publisher?
Engage with your readers as often as you can. Readers, myself included, want a relationship with everyone in their lives, even the people behind the pages of their favorite books.
I've come to find that I am definitely not cut out for the isolated writer thing, locking myself away and writing and bleeding over words alone. I'd rather share my pain with people.
Reading was my escape growing up in Ohio. Both of my parents lost their jobs when I was a teen, and it was hard. But I always had my books. Reading gave me a way of living different lives.
I was reading fan fiction on Wattpad, but they were taking a little bit to update the stories, so I started writing my own stories to entertain myself. I didn't think anyone would read it.
If you're a fan of One Direction, 2015 felt like one hit after another. Between Zayn leaving and the band announcing their hiatus, this was the year that Directioners would love to pretend didn't exist.
Every single path is so different, but I would definitely say that the idea of what a writer is or should be is not a thing anymore. Everyone is redefining publishing, writing, and storytelling in general.
When I was doing it, I just thought, 'I'm going to do this because it's fun.' I wasn't writing for a publisher or a publishing model; I didn't really think about it, but then, somehow, it worked out in my favor.
When you're watching 1D Youtube videos and going to their concerts and tweeting them, there's always a desire for more - and there's nothing like sitting down and spending time with them in the form of fan fiction.
I got married at 18 after dating my boyfriend for about a year. It was quick, I know. My husband joined the Army, and I thought I'd go to college. But we moved to Fort Hood for his job with no money, not even a car.
'The Giver' by Lois Lowry - I had to read this in school, and I fell in love with it. It was my favorite book as a child, and I read and reread it. I would pretend I lived in that world and that Asher was my best friend.
My husband is so proud of me. He's in the Army, so he doesn't get to travel much with me, but when I come home, he's the exact same, so it's really nice to have him so disconnected from all the other stuff so my life can still feel normal at home.
I think I'm lucky, in a way, because with the criticism I get online, it's mostly from really young girls that are fans of One Direction, and they're kind of already known for being mean online. So the things that they insult me with are things that don't really bother me.
There's so much anxiety coming from social media with teenagers that we have to give them characters that are real and that are not always happy; and that have bad parents and not great, supportive parents; and that are not going on these journeys to save the world with a bow.